Wasserman Schultz raps Grayson for Klan rhetoric

October 24, 2013 7:06pm

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said she was “disappointed” in fellow Florida Jewish Democrat Alan Grayson’s likening of the Tea Party to the Ku Klux Klan.

“Obviously I am disappointed in the use of that imagery,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement to Politico on Wednesday. “Both sides need to dial back that kind of rhetoric and look to bring more civility into politics.”

An email sent this week from U.S. Rep. Grayson (D-Fla.) to his supporters includes an excerpt from a TV appearance in which he said the Tea Party, the conservative movement that largely backs Republicans, is “no more popular than the Klan.”

The email is illustrated with a burning cross and captioned “Now You Know What the T Stands For.” Grayson has stood by the email.